Heartstrings and Clichés
by miramisa90212
Summary: Adopted by Sam Uley, Charity thought she could finally get away from the chaos in the outside world. Little did she know, they were nothing compared to the supernatural world she will discover. Facing the challenges, she struggles to juggle her family complications, homework and a love triangle that will change her life forever. It's all in all, a very cliché love story.
1. Chapter 1

_**The more you hide your feelings for someone, the more you fall in love with them ~Wasim Raja**_

xXx

_You shoot me down, but I won't fall I am Titanium…._

Charity groaned inwardly as the chorus of David Guetta's 'Titanium' began playing in her alarm. She hits the snooze button and gets out of bed, sighing because of another day in school. Getting up, she went to her bathroom, did her morning routine, changing into a beige-colored fitted long sleeved shirt, layered with a green polo, dark blue jeans, and her favorite pair of black converse.

Walking to the black vanity mirror Emily bought for her when she was adopted, she placed her favorite plain black headband on her head. Looking at her reflection, she began to wonder who her real parents were, just like any morning she would look into the mirror. She had so many questions unanswered, and she wants answers.

_Who are my real parents?_

_Why did they leave me?_

_Don't they love me?_

_Am I that despicable?_

_Is it because I'm not pretty enough?_

She lingered at the last thought. She wouldn't really consider herself ugly, but then again she wasn't stunningly gorgeous. Charity didn't like basing people on their looks because that's being too judgmental. She tried not to think ill-manneredly at other people because she wants to see the best in people and keep their not admirable characteristics left in the dark. But she continued to gaze at the girl in front of her.

Caramel-colored loose curls that fall until her mid back with natural blonde highlights, porcelain white skin, delicate eyebrows, big blue eyes, rosy cheeks, naturally cherry red, bow shaped lips. Her eyes fell to the star necklace around her neck as she grasped it with her thumb and index finger. It was the last memory she had of her parents. Though they were her least favorite people at the moment, she still held on that maybe someday she'll find them.

But leave Sam and Emily, the couple that adopted her? Not a chance.

She owed the engaged couple so much, she felt like her life was more than enough. Emily, like the mother hen she is, always said that she and Sam will love her forever no matter what happens, and she appreciated that. Even if she finds her parents, they weren't there when she needed them most, but Sam and Emily were.

She wasn't comfortable calling them 'mom' and 'dad' but there are occasions that she calls them that. When that happens, they would grin from ear to ear and hug her so tight that she can't breathe and feel her arms. But nonetheless, the couple didn't force her to call them that.

She got her backpack and went downstairs, hearing Jared and Paul talking with Sam. Charity always wondered why they were here all the time, not that she minded. They were great company, though Paul can be a bit of a bastard sometimes. Even so, they were like the protective brotherly duo she never had. Mess with Charity, and you turn into a punching bag for Paul and Jared, and Sam of course with a bit of wooden spoon whacking from Emily dearest. Ah, the perfect odd family for her.

"Morning squirt," Sam greeted. She pouted at the nickname her adoptive father gave her. She wasn't that small for being 5'6 at the age of sixteen, but then again, Sam and the two baboons lounging on their couch – ehem, Paul and Jared – were at least 6 feet or more. They were all really buff and super warm as well, which is beneficial because they live in La Push – and it's very cold there, mind you – so they were her and Emily's personal heater. Convenient and eco-friendly, right?

"Morning Sam," she said as she sat beside him on the dining table. Her phone suddenly vibrated in her pocket, making her jump. Sam raised an eyebrow at her as she took her phone and saw the name of the person who sent her a message.

Jacob Black.

She blushed furiously as she saw the name flashed on her screen and read his text, immediately replying after reading it a couple of times more.

**Hey, are you in school already? –Jake**

**Nope, eating breakfast with Sam –Chari**

***Sigh* are you SURE you don't want to study in the rez? :( −Jake**

**Jake, you're my best friend and I love you, but I really want to stay in Forks High and you know why –Chari**

**I know, I know, you don't want to feel like you should just be isolated in the rez so you expanded your horizons and all that shizz -.- but the offer still stands, you know. Your dad probably wants you to stay in the rez but it's your choice anyway ;) aw, you love me! –Jake.** Charity sighed as she saw the last statement of the message. You have _no _idea Jake, she thought but sent a different message.

**Thanks Jake :) see you later! :D –Chari**

**Bye :) –Jake.** She smiled and blushed. Emily, who just came out of the kitchen with a tray of freshly baked muffins, smiled at her as she knew who it was.

"It's _him, _isn't it?" she teased. Sam scrunched his eyebrows in confusion.

"Who's _him? _Charity Grace Uley, you better not tell me you already have a boyfriend!" he boomed. Charity smiled at her adoptive father and stood up, walking behind him and hugging him tight.

"Don't worry, daddy dearest! That's not happening soon. It's just Jacob –"

"The boy who farts rainbows and sunshine and makes your heart beat so fast and blush furiously," Emily said bluntly, cutting off her sentence. Charity smiled with a hint of pink on her cheeks, squealing like a fan girl and hugging her tight. Emily giggled and hugged her back after setting the tray of her famous blueberry muffins on the center of the table. Sam sighed.

"I knew this day would come," he muttered. Emily rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Sam. It's just a crush, not a relationship or a courting shish-kebab so don't go overprotective right now and stop pouting because it doesn't suit you," she scolded. Charity snickered and sat back on her chair beside Sam. Pouting and Sam wasn't a good combo at all, considering that the man had a serious face. When she first met the couple, she noticed Sam was really buff and serious looking, making her intimidated by him. But nonetheless, he can be a fun man sometimes.

"Yeah Sam, it's not like – Jared! Paul! Stop wrestling inside the house!" Charity scolded and whacked them with her own wooden spoon, a joking present she got from her adoptive mother since she used to use Emily's wooden spoon. Charity loved the spoon so much since it has her name engraved on it, though she only used it for whacking Jared and Paul when they fool around the house so much that they almost break some furniture. Right now, they almost knocked the television down.

"Sometimes, I wonder if you're really adopted because you love to spoon whack like Emily," Jared sighed. The two women held each other and smiled and shrugged. Charity looked at the clock and sighed. She had forty-five minutes before the bell rings and it takes at least half an hour to get there so she just takes a muffin, says goodbye to everyone and runs to her car, which is a blue Honda Ridgeline that Sam and Emily got for her when she first came here. She was happy, of course, but she didn't want them to spend so much on her. Nonetheless, she appreciated the gift and loved it, calling it 'her baby'.

"Chari!" Emily called. She turned and saw her running with a jacket.

"Stay safe in school," she said. Charity smiled and nodded, taking the jacket and hugging Emily.

"Thanks mom. Love you," Emily beamed and hugged her tight.

"Love you too sweetie. Now go before you're late," she said and waved her a goodbye as she sped off to Forks High School.

xXx

As Charity arrived in school, she parked beside a beat up truck that she recognized as Bella Swan's vehicle, Chief Swan's daughter. She got out of her truck and wore her jacket, hoisting her backpack to her shoulders and walking towards Bella. The latter gave her a small smile and approached her.

"Hey," she greeted. Charity wouldn't consider themselves as super best friends and whatnot, but they were in a good relationship. She would probably consider her as her closest friend in school, but not outside of school premises. In that category, it's definitely Jacob, Quil and Embry.

"Hey. So, how's your little relationship with Edweird Cullen?" Charity teased as her friend blushed and smiled. Bella is currently dating Edward, the adoptive son of Carlisle and Esme Cullen.

"I'm meeting his parents this weekend. Do you think I should dress up or something? What if they don't like me?" Bella sighed. Charity gave her a small smile.

"Oh, so you're in that stage, huh? Well, you came to the _wrong _person to ask those things because I am very inexperienced with that category since I have never really been in a relationship. But what I _can _assure you of is that you should just be yourself. One of the best decisions you could ever make is to be yourself, remember that," she said, giving her a friendly wink. Bella smiled and linked her arm with Charity's, something she rarely does.

"What did I ever do to deserve a friend like you?" She sighed. Charity chuckled as she remembered Jessica, Mike and company. She liked Angela Weber because she wasn't a nosy and judgmental girl, unlike Jessica who did. And Mike... was plain annoying. There was nothing kind enough other than that. At one point, he had a huge crush on Bella then after Charity arrived in Forks High, bada bing bada boom, he is now following her like a lost puppy.

"Well for starters, we both got crushed by some blond baby face... and here he comes now," Charity muttered as they arrived at their lockers – which were coincidentally beside each other – looking at Mike making his way to them. He stopped beside Charity, leaning on the locker beside hers. The lass raised an eyebrow at the blond, who was smirking and trying to look cool with his unsuccessful attempt to copy Edward Cullen's poof-y hairstyle with his hair gel, hairspray and other shish-kebab.

"Hey Charity," he said coolly. Charity flashed him a half-hearted smile and nodded cautiously.

"'Sup?" she said casually, taking and returning some books inside her locker. In school, she was known for having boyish attitudes at times, similar to Bella in a way, though Bella was still _much _clumsier that she is.

"So, the dance is coming near and I was wondering if you would like to have the honor of being my date?" he said. Charity quickly tried to make up an excuse and rolled her eyes inwardly as she heard Bella snicker in the background.

"Oh, uh, sorry Mike... I'm actually going to have a family dinner party with my relatives on that day. Sorry," she said. Mike's face fell, seeing that the two girls he would love to take to the prom, a.k.a. Bella and Charity, are away at the same day. Bella's excuse, on the other hand, is that she was going somewhere, but Charity didn't bother to ask what the place is.

"Oh, well... it's okay. Uh, see you... around," he gave him the best million dollar smile she could muster and noticed a light shade of red painted upon his cheeks, waving a goodbye to him and linking her arm with Bella's again, rushing to their first period.

"That was... I have no idea what to say," Bella bluntly said. Charity laughed and rolled her eyes playfully.

"Sorry, my ass,"

xXx

"Bye Chari," Bella waved. Charity smiled and nodded, walking to her second class – Music. She had always loved music, playing the keyboard at the beach or using the piano in the music room of the school. Walking to her table at the back, she saw her seat mate ready for class – Alice Cullen, Edward Cullen's adoptive sister.

Despite her other siblings keeping to themselves, Alice was very sociable – well, trying to. Some people were just too jealous of everything that the Cullens have that they ignored them. Out of pity, she mustered up all of the courage she had and walked to the Cullen table, greeting Alice a 'hello'. That day, Alice beamed and gave her a tight hug, greeting her as well. Her siblings though, looked like they wanted to burn a hole into her skull.

Jasper, Alice's adoptive brother and boyfriend – Charity felt disgusted at first that a sibling was dating the other sibling, reminding her of incest but she remembered they were adopted so she shrugged the issue off – cornered her once and she thought he was going to threaten her if she tried to hurt his Alice, but instead thanked her for being kind to his girlfriend despite what other people thought. He tried to give her a smile but it came out more of a grimace.

"Good morning Charity," Alice chirped as the former snapped out of her blast-from-the-past moment. She gave her a kind smile and nodded.

"How's your instrument?" Charity asked as she sat beside the brunette. Alice gave her thumbs up and smiled. Charity chuckled and nodded, taking out her keyboard as Alice held on to her flute.

"I feel like we're going to be doing something different today," Alice said. Charity raised an eyebrow at her. Whenever Alice would predict something – like just now – it would come true most of the time. It was something that both amazed and weird her out.

It was just like when she had her English class with Edward. She thought of some random stuff that could make their teacher, Mr. Mason, look stupid. At the corner of her eye, she would see Edward looking at her oddly at each thought, chuckling now and then.

And during American History class with Jasper. She was nervous about the test and suddenly, she calmed down, though she wasn't the one controlling her emotions because she knew that despite the calmness she was feeling, she wanted to feel nervousness. She could feel Jasper's stare at her that time and she thought if he was the one doing this. It was odd – well, the word 'odd' is the first thing that comes to her mind when she thinks of the Cullens.

"Oh really, huh, let's find out then, shall we?" Charity said. Alice giggled and nodded as the bell rang and the music teacher, Ms. Foster, walked into the classroom, her five inch heels clicking as it hits the floor. She gave the class a cheerful smile as everyone greeted her in chorus and proceeded with the lesson.

"Okay class, today we'll be doing something different," Ms. Foster said. Charity sighed, remembering what Alice had said earlier.

"We will be doing vocals instead of instruments! We will be doing it in duos so please pick a partner in three, two, one, GO!" Charity's face contorted to horror as everyone stood up. In cases of finding your own partner, it's either her or Alice getting flooded with requests. As if knowing what could happen, the two female seatmates stared at each other and nodded, linking arms together and signaling some people who were coming to their table that they have each other as partners. They both sighed and giggled at what just happened.

As everyone settled with a partner, Ms. Foster clapped her hands "alright class, please quiet down and let me explain the instructions."

"Together with your partner, you will be practicing a duo song that explains each other. You will have two weeks for this and it will be presented in front of the whole student body after in the school auditorium. Beware that this is fifty percent of your grade in music and failure to present will be an automatic zero for your grade in final presentation," she said. Charity smiled, knowing that Alice's beautiful voice will get them a long way. They turned to each other and smiled.

"This could be fun."

xXx

"My house after school, is that alright?" Alice asked as she and Charity walked out of school. Charity smiled and nodded.

"Sure, I'll just call my parents about it. Bye," but just as she was about to go, Alice pulled her back. Charity raised an eyebrow at her as the pixie girl grinned and pulled her to the cafeteria. Charity eyed Alice warily.

"Alice," she said cautiously. Alice winked and pulled her in front of the Cullen table. She was sure that all eyes were zeroed on her.

"Guys, this is Charity! She'll be going to our house today after school so _be nice,_" she said, eyeing Emmett especially. Charity sees them nodding, but their eyes says 'what the hell, Alice?!' as they look at the small girl beside her. Alice turned to her and smiled, letting her go and sitting beside her boyfriend, Jasper. Standing there awkwardly, she told Alice that she'll be going to her table now.

"Aw, please stay with us?" she pouted. Charity gave her a genuine smile and shook her head.

"No, it's alright. I'll be talking to Angela about Biology anyway and besides, it feels like my presence is… unwelcomed," she muttered, looking at Rosalie who was trying to burn holes through her skull. With one last nod, she turned and walked to her normal lunch table beside Angela.

"What was _that _all about?" Jessica said. Ah, the annoying girl trying to look for gossip. Charity shrugged.

"Just Alice introducing me to her siblings," she said. Jessica smirked.

"Ah, the perks of being friends with a gorgeous Cullen?" she said. Charity, once again, shrugged.

_You have _no _idea how wrong you are, _she thought as she felt each Cullen eyes – with the exemption of Alice and Edward, who was with Bella right now – glare at her.

As lunch, Biology, and American History passed by in what almost felt like minutes, Jared came and went to get Charity's truck. She smiled as he approached her.

"Hey little sis," he said and gave her a hug, wrinkling his nose a bit. I cocked an eyebrow at him.

"What's up and why do you look disgusted?" she said. He gave her a tight lipped smile and shook his head.

"Nothing, but anyways, I'll get your truck and where will we meet?" he asked. I smiled.

"At the diner in Port Angeles, Alice will take me there and drop me off. You wait for me there by eight," she said. Jared nodded and suddenly scrunched his eyebrows in confusion then anger, pulling Charity behind him.

"What the – Jared? What's wrong?" she said. Alice then approached her, having a glaring competition with Jared.

"What the hell do you want," he growled. Charity blinked in surprise that he actually growled like a dog. Alice gave him a hard look.

"I'm here to take Charity to my house for a school project," she said as she held out her hand for Charity to take – which she did – and pulled her to her side. Jared growled once again and Charity smacked his head. He gave her a disbelieved look.

"Stop that Jared. Alice is my friend and don't be like that!" she scolded. He muttered some profanities before sighing and nodding, giving one last glare at Alice – who glared back with intensity twice as much as his – and sped off with her vehicle. Charity sighed and turned to Alice with an apologetic look.

"I am so sorry about that baboon. He's my dad's friend and kind of like a brother to me but he's never been that hostile so I'm really sorry," she apologized. All traces of anger on Alice's face disappeared instantly and she smiled.

"No, it's alright. We just have some… _issues _with some people of his descent," she said, muttering the last statement. Little did she know, Charity heard them, confused as to why the Cullens have issues with Jared's 'kind' or whatsoever, though she didn't utter a single word.

Alice pulled Charity to the jeep, with Jasper on the driver's seat. Alice smiled and pecked Jasper on the lips before sitting at the back of the jeep with Charity to keep her company. It was a quiet but comforting ride to the Cullens' humble abode. They drove through the woods and stopped in front of a beautiful house.

Well, 'beautiful house' is _definitely _an understatement because it was a jaw-dropping wonderful mansion.

Alice giggled as Charity gaped like a fish as her eyes set on the huge home. She then pulled her flabbergasted classmate into their house. It was beautifully designed with so many huge glass windows and doors, almost as if seventy-five percent of the house was made of glass. It was open and modern with a garden currently growing on their front porch.

"Welcome to our humble abode!" she said cheerily. Charity smiled and let Alice guide her inside.

"Alice? Is that y – oh hello," a female voice said as she walked towards Alice. Charity was once again shocked that everyone in their family was insanely gorgeous. The woman before her was pale and golden eyed, just like the rest of the Cullen children, with a perfectly sculpted heart shaped face and perfectly waved caramel hair. Her figure is slender, but a bit more rounded than the others, but nonetheless, she was gorgeous.

"Hello Mrs. Cullen, it's nice to meet you," Charity greeted. The woman smiled warmly.

"Hello dear, please call me Esme. What's your name?" she said.

"Alright, Esme, I'm Charity Uley," she introduced. Charity swore that she saw Esme freeze at her name but continued to smile genuinely and nodded. Alice led her to the music room and told her to wait as she took off and went to get her laptop. Esme came in and brought a tray of snacks for them. As she set the food down, Esme sat beside her and took Charity's hand in hers. Charity tilted her head in confusion with the gesture the woman made.

"Charity, if you wouldn't mind answering my question, are you… adopted?" she asked. Charity was taken aback by her sudden question but bit her lip and nodded.

"Yes I am," she said. She saw the surprise in Esme's golden eyes as the woman tightened her grip a bit on Charity's hand.

"W-What was your… name before you were adopted?" she asked.

"I was Charity Grace Platt."


	2. Chapter 2

_**There are weapons that are simply thoughts. For the record, prejudices can kill and suspicion can destroy ~ **__**Rod Serling**_

xXx

Charity looked at her questioningly, "what's wrong?"

Esme gave her a small, cautious smile. "Nothing, dear. I'll be going now," she said. Charity smiled, taking the glass of water Esme set for her and Alice. She wondered what was wrong with the woman that she began questioning her about her adoption.

"Charity?" Alice's voice surprised her, accidentally dropping the glass in the process. Pieces of broken glass and spilled water was now scattered on the floor.

Charity bit her lip "I am so sorry. Here, let me help you," she said, beginning to pick up the broken pieces when a pale hand suddenly stopped her. She looked up and met with Alice's nervous and guarding eyes.

"No, it's alright. I'll do it," Charity shook her head.

"It's my fault, I'll help," she said and picked up a small piece of glass.

"Alice?" a male's voice surprised Charity once again. She winced as she felt the glass shard's sharp edge prick her finger. She heard Alice take a deep breath.

"Edward, don't come inside!" she yelled. Footsteps became louder as Charity looked at her bleeding finger.

"Why? What's wro –!" Edward froze as he inhaled the scent of rich, human blood coming out from Charity's finger. Charity cowered as she saw Edward's heated glare directed towards her.

"Carlisle!" he called. A blond man – a _dashing _blond man – whom Charity presumed to be Carlisle, popped out of thin air behind Edward. A look of surprise was on his face for a slight second before changing to worry.

"Oh, I didn't know we had a guest… and you're injured. Esme, take Alice and Edward to the Kitchen first, if you don't mind," Esme nodded and nudged the two adopted siblings away while flashing Carlisle a smile. He returned the gesture and walked to Charity.

He took her finger and examined it. "Hmm… it's not that deep, good. Come now," he said gently, leading her to his office.

As they entered, Charity can't help but stare at awe at the thousands of books in the young doctor's office. All about science, medicine, a bit of history, books on the supernatural, classics, _a lot _of books.

"Whoa…" she whispered to herself. Carlisle chuckled and sat her down on a chair near his table. He took a pack of band-aids and an antiseptic. Using a cotton bud, he dipped it into the antiseptic and dabbed it on her wound.

"You have… a _lot _of books," Charity said. Carlisle smiled.

"Well, I love to learn. What I learn, I apply to my life and job, and my job is to help people, something I love to do," he said. Charity smiled at the doctor.

"That's great to hear. You're very compassionate, Mr. Cullen," she complimented. He chuckled.

"Call me Carlisle," he said as he placed the band-aid on her finger. She smiled and nodded.

"Thank you Carlisle," she said as she stood up and walked to the door. She paused and turned to the doctor once again.

"You know, you and Esme look awfully familiar, but I just can't pinpoint how that's possible," she pointed out and smiled, walking out and closing the door.

Carlisle sighed and sat down on the same chair the young girl sat on.

"If only you knew."

xXx

"Alright Charity, you since you understand the song, let's do the choreography tomorrow, alright?" Alice told her as she guided her to the door. She smiled and nodded.

"Sure. I'll just remind my dad then, how will I go here? I'm not very sure how to get here," she said sheepishly. Alice let out a harmonious giggle that Charity can't help but be awe at it.

"Go to Bella's house then I'll pick you up from there, alright?" she said.

"Are you sure you won't go to my house?" Charity asked. Alice gave her a tight smile.

"No need, it's not that easy," she reminded her. Charity sighed, remembering the glaring contest Alice and Jared had a while back.

"Alright," she said. Alice grinned.

"Call your friend so he can meet you in school," she said. Charity smiled and nodded. Despite being confused of the arrangement on how she'll get home, she didn't complain and called Jared.

"Hey Chari, are you alright?" Jared asked worriedly. Charity raised an eyebrow at his tone.

"Yeah, why do you sound so worried? It's not like I'm in a monster's den or anything, it's just the Cullens," she assured him. Jared groaned.

"Yeah, yeah, alright but why'd you call?"

"Wait for me in school. Alice is going to drive there,"

"Okay, see you… and be careful," he said.

"Yeah, thanks Jared. Bye," she said and hung up. Alice ushered her out and led her to the car. The ride seemed short as they arrived there immediately, spotting Jared. He walked to them swiftly, an intense look on his face. He opened Charity's door and yanked her out of the car, dragging her to his.

"Be careful with her, mutt. She's fragile," Alice called out before driving off. Charity was confused with her choice of words but shrugged it off.

Silence enveloped them as they drove back to Sam's house. Once they arrived, Charity's door was opened and she was yanked out once again and crushed into her adoptive father's chest. His hug was so tight, Charity was surprised she could still breathe.

"Thank goodness you're alright," he muttered quietly, but enough for Charity to hear.

"Dad, it's not like I was in a monster's den, goodness. It's just the Cullens," she reminded him.

"If only you knew," Jared muttered, but not within Charity's hearing range. Sam pulled away from her, holding her at his arm's length. He held her hand and felt the band-aid on her finger. His eyes widened.

"You were hurt?!" he boomed. Charity jumped at the loudness of his voice, surprised that their neighbors aren't awake yet.

"Dad, it was just a scratch. I'm _fine_," she said. Worry was _very _evident on her adoptive father's face.

"But –"

"Dad, Dr. Cullen helped me with my wound. It was disinfected and all that jazz, so stop worrying," she assured him, clueless that that wasn't what her father was worrying about. Sam sighed and ushered her inside the house.

"If only you knew," he whispered to himself.

xXx

"So, how did your 'I'm-meeting-my-boyfriend's-parents' go?" Charity asked as she and Bella walked along the halls of the school. It was Monday again and she was questioning Bella regarding the details of her visit to the Cullen home.

"It was fine... it went better than how I expected it to be," she said. Charity grinned.

"I wish I was there to watch your little meet-and-greet," she said, accompanied with a wink. Bella chuckled.

"Yeah, _really _funny Charity," she said, rolling her eyes.

"I _know_, I'm _hilarious_!" she exclaimed with a fake laugh. Bella chuckled in amusement.

"But they're going to take me to play baseball," she told her. Charity raised an eyebrow.

"You? Baseball? Now _that's _funny!" she said. Bella rolled her eyes playfully.

"I'm just going to watch them," she said. Charity chuckled.

"Good choice because I've seen you play volleyball," she pointed out, remembering the first day Bella came to Forks High. She accidentally hit the ball towards Mike Newton's head. Poor boy.

Walking into the cafeteria, Charity followed Bella to whichever table she was going to. She stopped walking when she realized they were in front of the Cullen table.

"Um... Bella, I'm just going to stay with Angela and company," Charity said and waved a goodbye when a cold hand stopped her. She turned and saw Alice.

"Charity, please stay," she said.

"Um… are you _sure_? I don't want to intrude or anything…" she said, feeling Alice's blonde sister – Rosalie – gave her a piercing glare. She was definitely sure that she wanted to burn a hole through her skull.

"Don't worry, you're not intruding," she assured her, giving Rosalie a pointed look. The blonde huffed and crossed her arms. She averted her gaze to Alice's boyfriend, Jasper.

As always, he looked constipated.

Charity sighed. "No, no, I'm going now. I'll see you later," she said and walked away.

"Why'd you walk away from the Cullen table?" Angela asked as Charity sat down beside her.

"I didn't want them to think that I was intruding," she said.

"Better to stay away from the freak family anyway," Mike muttered to her. Charity gave him a pointed look and whacked him behind the head.

"They're not freaks, Mike. They're… unique, and they didn't do anything to you so be nice," she scolded him. Mike shrugged.

"Just saying," he told her. She sighed and inconspicuously looked at the Cullen table.

They were all undeniably gorgeous, with gold eyes and perfectly clear, pale skin. They all had purple bruises under their eyes, as if they never got enough sleep every night. Despite each of them being adopted, they all looked almost the same.

There was something weird going on with the Cullens, and she had a feeling that Bella knew what was going on, considering that she's Edward's girlfriend. She couldn't question her brunette friend because she knew she won't tell her anything, and it's so obvious that Alice won't be telling her anything so she's all on her own in finding out who the Cullens really are.

Or _what _they are.

xXx

"Alright class, the performance is next week so polish your performances and break a leg, alright?" Ms. Foster told the class. The class chorused a 'yes' as they all stood up and packed their things.

"Well, I organized our choreography already so we're good," Alice told me as they walked to her car. Throughout the whole drive, none of them said a word as a comforting silence enveloped them. The time seemed to come by fast because it felt like minutes as they got in the house and practiced.

"Okay, let's start," Alice said as they stretched. Charity was awed by how flexible and graceful Alice was. Every move she made was perfect and smooth, which made Charity quite insecure.

"Okay, follow me. One, then two, then three," Charity followed each and every step, determined to get a high grade. They had a bit of laughing and goofing off here and there and before they knew it, they were bidding a goodbye to each other as Jared led her to his car and they drove away.

The next day was the same: school, Cullen home, practice, go to school to be picked up by Jared, then home, and before they knew it, it was already Friday and they were two days away from the presentation day.

"I'm excited for your performance," Angela squealed as she held Charity's hands. Charity chuckled and patted her arm as she sat down beside her.

"I just want to get a good grade for it," she told her as she took her apple and bit it. She jumped as her phone vibrated. She opened her phone to see who texted her.

**Hey Chari, heard you were going to perform or something for a project :)) can I come and see you that day? –Jake **

Charity giggled and replied to his message.

**Sure ^.^ maybe I'd become inspired to dance with more energy when I see you ;) –Chari **

**Why, of course! My awesome face makes everyone happy! –Jake **

**Arrogant weirdo :)) –Chari **

**But when is it? /:) –Jake **

**On Monday :) see ya there! –Chari **

**:D –Jake **

She blushed as she closed her phone and sighed dreamily.

"I know that sigh! Who's the boy?" Jessica asked. Charity smiled and brought her index finger to her lips with a wink.

"It's a secret," she told her. Jessica pouted.

"Huh? W-Wait, what boy?" Mike asked her. Charity smiled.

"It's just a friend of mine," she told him. Angela chuckled.

"Yeah, and it's practically _obvious _that you're crushing on this 'friend' of yours," she pointed out, doing air quotation marks on the word 'friend'.

"How so is it obvious?" Charity asked. Angela took a sip from her water bottle and faced her.

"Well, you giggled from a text, and throughout the whole time you were texting, you had this goofy smile plastered on your face, and you're blushing. Overall, quite obvious if I must say," she told her as she pointed out each detail from what she observed.

"So spill the beans and tell us who the lucky guy is!" Jessica squealed. Charity chuckled at the little girl talk they were having.

"Well, that person is… a secret I won't tell," she laughed as Jessica pouted again.

"Aw come on, not even a hint?" she asked her. Charity shook her head.

"Nope," she answered.

"Please?"

"No Jess," she told her with a smile. Jessica sighed.

"Alright, fine," she said and gave up.

"Charity!" she turned and saw Alice waving as she gracefully skipped her way to their table.

"Hey Alice, what's up?" she asked.

"We won't be able to practice today because of a family thing. You memorize the whole choreography anyway, right?" Alice told her. Charity nodded as she took another bite from her apple.

"That's good, I've seen you dancing anyway so you're doing great," Alice winked. Charity smiled and thanked her for the compliment. Alice smiled and skipped back to her table.

The bell rang, signaling that lunch is finished. As the rest of the subjects flew by, a boy with long hair and russet skin was leaning on her car. She perked up as she realized who it was.

"Jakie!" she squealed. Jacob turned and grinned as he saw Charity run to him. He held his arms out as Charity ran into them and he spun her around. She giggled as he set her down.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him.

"Am I not allowed to see my best friend," he told her. She blushed and punched his arm playfully. She raised an eyebrow as she noticed something different with her friend.

"Did you just… _grow_?" she asked him. He winked, which sent her knees wobbling.

"Yup, from 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet," he told her boastfully. She smiled.

"Wow… you are _tall_," she commented. Jacob smiled and held out the car door for her. Charity raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

"You know, there's something I wanted to tell you," Jacob said as he hopped into the passenger's seat and Charity sat on the driver's seat, starting the engine.

"What?" she asked. He grinned and told her to drive to La Push Beach. As she pulled over, Jacob went out of the car and yanked her out as well, pulling her to a part of the beach with tiki torches and a few tables. She raised an eyebrow at Jacob, who had a goofy smile on his face. A sudden thought came into her mind.

"Hey Jake, what date is it today?" she asked. He looked at her and smiled.

"April 19," he told her. Her jaw fell as she unintentionally forgot this important day.

"Jake…" he let go of her hand and ran beside his father, Billy, who was seated on his wheelchair and smiling at her.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHARITY!"

Charity laughed as Paul and Jared ran to her and carried her. She kept squealing and laughing as they spun her around.

"Happy birthday, squirt!" Paul said. She smiled and kissed his and Jared's cheeks, a form of thanking them.

"Thank you," she said. Sam walked to her and smiled.

"Happy birthday Chari," he held his arms out and she ran into them, giving him the tightest hug she could give.

"Thanks dad. Love you," she whispered to him. He smiled and rubbed his adoptive daughter's back comfortingly. Emily ran to her and hugged her tight.

"Haha, thanks mom," she said.

"No problem, sweetheart," she said. Charity spotted Jacob, together with Embry and Quil. She gave her family a smile and ran to her three best friends.

"Guys!" she called out. They turned and grinned at her. Quil ran to her and hugged her tight.

"Happy birthday, chica!" he said. She chuckled and kissed his cheek in a sisterly way.

"Happy birthday, loca!" Embry greeted. She laughed and hugged him, giving him a sisterly kiss on the cheek as well. She turned to Jacob and jumped into his arms.

"Thanks Jake, you're the best!" she told him. Jacob smiled and held her tight.

_I never want to let you go_, he thought. She smiled and let go of him, giving him a kiss on the cheek as well, but lingered a bit more than the others. He felt a tingle on the place where she kissed him, which sent his stomach to a small twist.

As he observed how happy she was, how her smile glowed, it made his lips tug upwards as he whispered to himself.

"If only you knew how I felt."

* * *

**YAY! ANOTHER CHAPTER DONE! I am so sorry for not updating immediately guys :( I had school that time but now it is SUMMER so I'll be updating much more :D Now, you've seen a bit of Jacob's feelings regarding Charity so hopefully, you guys got the hint *wink wink* ****so thank you for reading and stay tuned ;) **

*****EDIT: Okay guys, I am SUFFERING a mental illness. It's called writer's block, heard of it? Yeah? Well, since you have heard of it, could you guys do me a favor and tell me some suggestions and all? Please, oh please? *insert fail puppy dog face here* haha, anyways, please just say ANY suggestion for this story in your reviews or just PM me :D Thank you~! ^.^**


	3. Chapter 3

_**The formula for achieving a successful relationship is simple: you should treat all disasters as if they were trivialities but never treat a triviality as if it were a disaster ~ **__**Quentin Crisp**_

xXx

"Oh my God, I'm going to be late!" Charity shrieked as she got out of her tangled bed sheets and scurried to the bathroom.

Taking a short shower and doing all her womanly business, she dressed into a tight, navy blue tank top – which she got when she was fifteen, thus the tightness and the slight cleave which makes her uncomfortable but has no other choice because one tank top of hers is in the laundry, while the other is missing – a black plain shirt and jeans.

"I need to go shop a bit more," she muttered to no one in particular.

Charity grabbed her jacket, backpack and converse and slipped them on while hopping to the stairs, tripping here and there.

"GAH!" she yelped as she accidentally hit the table with Emily's favorite porcelain vase on it. Her face contorted into horror as it began to wobble and fall off the table.

Unconsciously, Charity grabbed it swiftly, hitting the table again and almost dropping the lamp – which she successfully caught – and hitting the table _again _and almost dropping the porcelain plate being displayed on the table, which she balanced on her foot.

"What the…" she muttered to myself as she placed the lamp and vase back to its position on the table and took the plate and returned it to where it was displayed.

This day was starting weirdly because for starters, she knew she wasn't _that_ fast, and she never knew how to balance three things at the same time. Charity tiptoed backwards and away from the table as she ran downstairs and grabbed a muffin. Emily raised an eyebrow at the young girl.

"Why are you in such a hurry?" she asked.

"I'm going to be late," Charity answered.

"Late… for what?"

"School," laughter suddenly erupted in the house. Charity stared at them in confusion.

"What?" she asked them. Jared snickered as Paul answered her question.

"Dude, it's Saturday," he said, snickering again. She bit her lip as the idiotic dynamic duo continued to laugh. She muttered profanities as she grabbed her wooden spoon and whacked both baboons on the head.

"Ouch, that hurts Chari," Jared pouted. She rolled her eyes and returned her wooden spoon in the drawer.

"Well then now that you knuckleheads are done laughing –" the two snickered, "− I'll just go to Jake's shed. Is that cool?" she asked Emily. She smiled and nodded. Charity grinned and took another muffin and biting from hers. She bid everyone a goodbye and walked to her truck.

Hearing her truck roar to life, she drove to Jacob's house and continued to eat her muffin. Spotting the red house, she parked her truck and ran to greet Billy.

Knocking on the door, she called, "Billy! It's Charity!"

The door opened, revealing the old man on the wheelchair. His face had a smile plastered on his face, wrinkling his skin a bit.

"Hello Chari," he greeted. She smiled and hugged Billy, the latter hugging back.

"Good to see you," she said. He chuckled and gave her head a pat.

"How's the life of being seventeen?" Billy teased. Charity smiled and shrugged.

"Doesn't feel _that _different," she answered. He smiled.

"Jacob's in his shed," he told her. She chuckled and nodded, thanking Billy and running to her best friend's shed.

"Jake!" she called out. Jacob turned and grinned. Setting his tools down, he walked to her and gave her a hug, to which she hugged back.

"Hey oldie," he teased. She rolled her eyes and slapped his arm playfully.

"I'm just two years older than you, punk. Remember that," she told him.

"Still older than me though," he said. She chuckled and hopped on his back, earning an, 'oomph!' from Jacob.

"Do you want to break my bones?" he asked her. She rolled her eyes.

"I'm not _that _heavy. And besides, you're taller and all," she told him. He smiled and steadied her on his back.

"Onwards to Quil and Embry, loyal Steve!" she said, pretending that what she was riding on was a horse. He rolled his eyes and pretended to drop her, to which she responded with a shriek.

"Jake!" she shouted. He laughed and balanced her again.

"I'm not your horse, oh mighty knight."

"Well, you are today," she told him. He chuckled and rolled his eyes playfully, walking to Quil's house which wasn't far away.

"Good morning Old Quil!" Charity greeted. Old Quil nodded to them in greeting.

"Is Quil inside?" she asked. He nodded.

"Embry is also inside," he told her with his thin tenor voice. She smiled and waved, thanking him as Jacob walked inside.

"Quil, Embry, it's Jake and Charity!" he called. Scurrying footsteps from the staircase was heard as Quil and Embry went down.

"Hey dude and older lady," Quil teased. Charity rolled her eyes.

"I'm just _two years _older than you guys! Now, come on and let's go to the beach!" she said, pulling the two together with her and Jacob.

As they walked to the First Beach, Charity felt Jacob stop. She raised an eyebrow and nudged him.

"Jake?" she called.

"The cult's here," Quil muttered. Charity scowled, knowing that they were referring to her adoptive father, Paul and Jared.

"Guys, they're not _that _bad. They don't do drugs," she defended her adoptive father. She didn't know why they were so buff and tall, but she was definitely sure that they don't do drugs.

"Unless he hides it from you or even Emily," Embry argued. Charity sighed.

"He's not doing drugs Em, trust me," she replied.

"Let's just stay out of their way," Jacob told them and set Charity down on the sand. The young girl sighed as she watched Sam and the two nincompoops she call brothers play around. She didn't know if they were having anabolic steroids, and she was afraid that they were.

She wasn't sure herself.

xXx

"Ahh! Jake!" Charity squealed as Jacob hoisted her up on his shoulder and playfully threatened to drop her into the water.

"Jacob Ephraim Black, I demand that you put me down!" she yelled, sounding stern, but her twinkling eyes and big smile says otherwise. He laughed and walked back to Quil and Embry, setting her down.

"Thank you for _finally _putting me down," she laughed out. Jacob chuckled.

"My pleasure," he winked. She rolled her eyes and chuckled, looking at the woods. She raised an eyebrow as a flash of blond hair suddenly appeared.

"Charity?" Embry called.

"Is something wrong?" Jacob asked. She turned to them and smiled, shaking her head.

"Nothing, I thought I saw something," she said, turning back to the woods. Her phone rang, startling her. Opening it, the caller I.D. was Mike Newton.

"Hey Mike," she said.

"_Hey Charity, could you help us?" _he asked. She frowned.

"What did you do?" she asked. He chuckled.

"_No, we didn't do anything wrong. We just want you to join us, Angela and etcetera here in the diner,"_ he told her. She rolled her eyes.

"Guys −"

"_Aw, come on Charity,"_ Angela's voice suddenly said.

"…I'm on speaker, aren't I?" she said. Angela chuckled.

"_Yup, you are. But anyways, come with us,"_ she insisted. She smiled.

"Alright, I'm coming. Let me just tell my dad, okay?" she said. Angela thanked her and hung up. She stood up and ran to her dad.

"Hey Sam," she called. Her adoptive father turned to her, smiling.

"Hey squirt, what's up?" he asked. She rolled her eyes playfully at the nickname.

"Angela's inviting me to the diner. Could I go?" he contemplated on it.

"Alright, just be home before nine o' clock… _exactly _nine o' clock," he warned her. She smiled and nodded.

"Thank you dad," she said, hugging him and kissing his cheek. He smiled and patted her head. She waved a goodbye, running back to Jacob, Quil and Embry.

"What's up?" Quil asked.

"My friends from school are asking help with something in the diner… and they invited me," she told them.

"So… you're leaving us?" Embry said. Charity sighed.

"I'll hang out with you guys tomorrow… promise," Jacob sighed.

"Alright, go," he muttered. Charity smiled and unconsciously kissed Jacob's cheek. She surprised herself and Jacob with her actions.

"I-I'm sorry," she stuttered, feeling her cheeks heat up. Jacob chuckled and waved it off.

"It's cool, we're best friends anyway," he said. She giggled and waved a goodbye, walking away. As she turned her head back, she swore she saw a hint of pink on Jacob's cheek.

xXx

As she drove to out of La Push and drove through the streets of Forks, she spotted Bella, walking with a bag – clothes, probably − and going in her car, crying. She raised an eyebrow and decided to follow her instead of going to the diner.

She jumped as she suddenly saw someone hop to the door of the driver's seat. The car door opened and the stranger went in. Noticing the familiar bronze locks, she realized it was Edward. A burly man hopped at the back of the truck.

_Emmett, _she thought.

The car began speeding up as she followed them. She growled… _literally_.

She gasped as she heard her mouth produce the animalistic sound. "What is happening to me," she muttered to herself as she sped up, almost matching the pace of the vehicle in front of her. Judging by the familiarity of the road and that the truck was heading into the woods, they were most likely going to the Cullen house.

Charity stopped following them, parking in front of the woods. A car followed Bella's truck, which she recognized as Emmett's jeep. In the wheel was Alice, who noticed her. Charity made a motion with her hand, signaling her to keep quiet. Alice looked at her worriedly and sighed, looking back on the road.

She took her phone and dialed Bella's cell phone.

"_Hey,"_ Bella answered. Charity sensed her uneasiness.

"Hey, you okay?" she asked.

"_Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" _

"I saw you get out of your house with a bag and… you were crying. Is there something wrong?" she asked. She heard Bella's breath hitch as she told her what she saw.

"_Y-Yeah, I'm-I'm fine, don't worry,"_ she stuttered.

"Don't lie to me, I know you're not. Tell me, what's wrong? Is it your stupid boyfriend or something? Did he hurt you?" she questioned. Bella sighed.

"_Chari, I'm_ fine, _don't worry."_

"But –"

"No buts_, I'm_ fine_,"_ she insisted with a bit of force.

"Bella –"

"_How many_ times _do I_ have _to_ tell you, I'm fine _Charity!" _she forced out. Chari was surprised with the forcefulness of Bella's voice and paused for a moment.

"Alright, forget I called because I was worried. Bye."

"_Chari –" _

"Bye," Charity said with finality and hung up. She felt her eyes water as she thought to herself if Bella didn't need her help. She blinked and looked out at her window, and shrieked as a loud bang was heard behind her truck.

A flash of brilliant orange appeared. Charity felt her heart speed up as her door was forced opened and a cold hand dragged her out of her truck. She was held on her neck and backed up on a tree.

A woman with fiery red hair was clutching her neck, smirking at her.

Charity won't deny that the woman in front of her was beautiful, with her long, curly, brilliant orange hair that seemed to look like a living flame as the wind blew. Her flawless and pale face perfectly sculpted with beautiful features. All in all, she was a feline beauty that men would fall for once she seduces them.

But what scared her were her eyes, blood red.

"Do you know the Cullens?" she spoke with her soft, soprano voice. It startled Charity as her voice contrasted with her fierce looks, a voice fit for a helpless girl who was in need and had an easy time to catch her prey.

"W-Why should I tell you," she stuttered. The woman's hold became tighter, almost cutting off her oxygen intake. Charity did the most unexpected thing: she growled.

"Let me go," she growled and kicked the woman's stomach, letting her go. She fell to the ground, clutching her neck. Looking at the redhead, she saw her getting up, and Charity knew she had to leave.

Standing up, the woman almost caught her, but Charity evaded her advances and hopped on the tree.

Charity was angry and in pain. She _wanted _the woman in front of her not to feel the pain of almost dying, to be able to kill her without the redhead screaming.

"What the… I feel numb, and I can't see! What's happening!" the redhead cried.

The young girl gasped at her thoughts. They were too cruel, too sadistic, and why did she want to _kill _her? She looked at the redhead, who was breathing hard and looking at her with anger.

Jumping from the tree, she ran as far away from the redhead as possible, to escape from her.

She felt the woman catching up, so she ran faster, faster than she ever did in her whole life.

Adrenaline pumped into her veins as she ran fast, but seeing everything so clear. She was able to jump and avoid rocks and trees in front of her.

The scent of flowers suddenly passed her nostrils. Looking at the side, she saw Bella looking through the window, with Jasper on the wheel and Alice on the shotgun. She looked back again, only to see that the woman was gone.

Charity sighed in relief, but was unfamiliar with the road. She decided to continue following the car.

Feeling the adrenaline again, she ran fast and easily caught up with the fast vehicle.

xXx

"Alice," Bella called out cautiously. Alice turned and looked at the brunette.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Bella was looking at the window.

"I-Is that a… vampire?" she asked, pointing at the window. Alice raised an eyebrow and looked through her window. A silent gasp came out of her mouth at what she was.

There was Charity, running with the _speed _of a vampire, easily catching up with the vehicle.

"Jasper, open my window," she said. Jasper raised an eyebrow but did what he was told.

"Charity!" Alice called. The young girl turned to Alice and waved.

"Can you jump on the roof of the car?" she shouted. Charity shrugged but focused on landing on the roof of the vehicle. She then ran towards the car, jumped and easily jumped on the roof.

"Jasper, unlock the door near Bella," Jasper nodded and unlocked the door. Bella opened the door and scooted over to let Charity sit down.

"What in the world are you _doing _here Charity!" Bella scolded. Charity sighed.

"I'm sorry! A redhead almost choked me to death!" she cried out. Alice scrunched up her eyebrows.

"A redhead… Victoria?" Charity shrugged.

"How am I supposed to know her name? She just asked me if I knew you guys but I didn't tell her. Then I ran away from her… where are we anyway?" she asked.

"We're in _Phoenix_, Chari," Alice said. The young girl raised an eyebrow.

"What? Phoenix? Pshh… impossible! It's not possible that I ran from _your _house all the way to Phoenix," she said. Alice sighed as she pointed to the window. Charity gaped as she saw the sunlight and the cactuses.

"Oh… we're in Phoenix… damn," she muttered. The car stopped in front of a hotel. Alice and Jasper checked in immediately. Bella sat down nervously and Charity sat beside her.

"Alice, what are we going to do? Victoria's obviously going to tell James, and Charity's going to get stuck in this," Bella said. Alice sighed.

"We… I don't know," she said and sat down beside Jasper on the couch. After a few moments, the pixie like girl gasped as her eyes became glossy and faraway.

"What is it? What do you see?" Jasper asked her.

"The tracker… he just changed course," she answered. Charity raised an eyebrow in confusion but stayed quiet. Jasper took a piece of blank paper and placed the pen on her hand.

"Mirrors… a room full of mirrors," she stated as she effortlessly sketched a picture.

"Edward said the visions weren't always certain," Bella said. Charity, now totally and utterly confused, just stared at Alice's hand as she sketched and tuned out their conversation. As the sketch became more clear, she was able to identify what the drawing was.

"A ballet studio?" she questioned. Alice looked at her.

"You've been here?" she asked.

"I passed by it once while moving to La Push. Emily tried to persuade me to take lessons here in Phoenix and stay with a friend of hers to help with my balance but I didn't want to," she answered.

"And I took lessons as a kid… the school I went to had an arch just like that," Bella added. Charity nodded, remembering the first time she set foot on the ballet studio.

"So the school's here in Phoenix," Jasper said. Charity nodded. Bella's phone vibrated, catching everyone's attention.

"Edward are you okay?" Bella asked. Charity turned to Alice and Jasper, meeting the pixie girl's stern face.

"Charity, what were you doing chasing us?" she asked. Charity sighed.

"I was trying to escape the redhead… Victoria… whatever she is! Alice, you should've seen her, she had _red _eyes!" she cried.

"Bella," Alice called. The brunette turned to her with a raised eyebrow.

"Tell Edward to hand the phone to Carlisle after. We have a problem," she stated. Bella nodded and continued talking with Edward, then handed the phone to Alice.

"_Alice, what's wrong?"_ Carlisle's worried voice asked.

"Carlisle, Charity's here," she said. The blond doctor's breath hitched.

"_What? How…" _

"She told us Victoria almost killed her for asking if she knows us. She ran away from her. Carlisle, she ran from our house to Phoenix!"

"_How is that_ possible_?"_ he questioned. Alice sighed.

"I'm not sure, but when I saw her by my window, she was running _like _a vampire."

"…_tell her,"_ he said.

"But –"

"_Tell her, Alice. She needs to know. And besides, it's about time my daughter knew the truth,"_ he said, hanging up without Alice's consent. She wasn't that shocked when Carlisle told her to tell Charity, but what shocked her is when he called Charity his "daughter".

"Alice?" Charity's timid voice called out. Alice took a deep breath and looked at the young girl.

"Charity, how much do you know about vampires?"

**Okay guys, I feel like I'm a bit too fast paced with this but it's just because I'm SUPER excited for New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn since it has more action. Let me give you guys a hint on New Moon: there's no zombie Bella ;) haha! Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! :D ciao! **


	4. Chapter 4

_**We are in danger of destroying ourselves by our greed and stupidity. We cannot remain looking inwards at ourselves on a small and increasingly polluted and overcrowded planet ~ **__**Stephen Hawking**_

xXx

"So you're telling me… you guys are _vampires_?" Charity said in disbelief. Alice and Jasper nodded. The young girl stared at them and chuckled, that turned to a giggle, then turned into full out laughter.

Bella, seemingly not amused with the information Alice told Charity, stomped in front of her best friend and crossed her arms.

"Chari, this isn't a laughing matter. The Cullens really are vampires," she told her. The said girl rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, the Cullens are vampires… and I'm Angelina Jolie," she mocked. Bella groaned.

"Chari… they really are vampires!" she tried to convince her, but to no avail. Charity stood up, anger evident in her eyes.

"Dude, this isn't a funny joke anymore. If you didn't want me here, you could've just told me! Not make up some sick joke to shoo me away!"

"We're not joking, Charity. We really _are _vampires," Alice told her.

"I'll believe it when I see it," she claimed. Her sour mood suddenly turned to pain, her stomach twisting and untwisting. Her head pounding like a thousand hammers.

"AHHHH!" Charity screamed, clutching her head.

Jasper looked at her intensely, and Charity's mood turned to anger. She thrashed around the room, throwing books and pens on walls. Bella tried to duck everything, except the crumpled paper Charity threw.

Her mood changed yet again, to happiness, as she pranced around the room and made Bella skip with her.

"Jasper, stop," Alice whispered to her lover. He stopped using his power on the girl, who was breathing heavily and clutching her stomach, sliding to the ground.

"Chari, you okay?" Bella asked worriedly. Charity nodded and stood up carefully, with the help of Bella.

"What the heck was that?!" she suddenly cried. Alice sighed, pinching Jasper a bit with a scolding look.

"That was Jasper's doing. He can control emotions and feel what people are feeling," she explained.

"So… he's an empath?" she asked. Jasper nodded and smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry about that," he said, his southern accent slightly visible. She nodded.

"Okay, this is officially weird!" she freaked.

"_Now _do you believe that they're vampires?" Bella asked. Charity sighed.

"Okay, okay, they're vampires. I believe them," she told her. Alice smiled.

"Well, that's good. But anyways, are you hungry, Bella?" the brunette smiled and nodded, turning to her best friend, who was raising an eyebrow at the two supernatural creatures.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Bella asked her.

"Don't they like… drink blood or something? Oh God, please don't suck the life out of me!" she squeaked, scurrying behind Bella.

"If you want to eat us, drink her first!" she cried, pointing to Bella. The latter rolled her eyes and flicked Charity's forehead, earning a squeak of pain from her.

"Yeah, now I'm _really _assured that you'll be loyal to me in danger," she sarcastically said. Charity pouted and hugged the brunette.

"Aw, cheer up Bells! You know I love you," she cooed. Bella chuckled and gave her head a pat.

"Don't worry, they drink animal blood, not humans," she explained. Charity made a sound of understanding and nodded.

"So, you hungry too, Chari?" the pixie-like vampire asked. She smiled and nodded.

"Okay, we'll get you both something. Stay here, okay?" she said, dragging Jasper to the door. The two human girls nodded and watched as the couple went out.

Charity jumped as her phone vibrated. She opened it and saw the caller I.D.

**Calling:**

**Sam :) **

"Hey Sam," she answered her phone.

"Charity? Charity, where are you?!" her adoptive father's panicked voice startled her.

"I'm fine dad, I'm with Bella, why?" she asked.

"We checked the diner and you weren't there, neither were your friends. Why didn't you inform me earlier that you were with Bella?" he asked wearily. She bit her lip, hearing her adoptive father's weariness never made her feel comfortable.

"Sorry dad, it was just out of the blue," she told him. Sam sighed.

"It's alright," he said. Muffled voices over the other line suddenly erupted.

"What?!" her father boomed.

"Charity, where are you exactly?!"

"Umm... in Bella's house?"

"Tell me the truth," Sam pressed.

"Okay, I am in Phoenix. Bella ran from home," she said. A growl was heard on the other line.

"Are you in a hotel?" he said.

"Yeah."

"I'm coming to get you."

"What?! Sa—" it was too late as the line went dead. Charity groaned and kicked the wall in frustration.

"Damn it," she whispered to herself.

"Charity? What's wrong?" Bella's worried voice startled her. She sighed and sat on the couch.

"Sam's going here to get me," she said. Bella was about to say something when her phone vibrated.

"Hey mom, I'm glad you got my message… what are you doing at home?" she asked as she brought the phone to her ears.

"Calm down mom, everything's fine… I'll explain everything late—mom, are you there? " she assured. The brunette's face contorted to horror and anger as the one in the phone spoke.

"Don't touch her! Don't ju—" she heaved angrily and paused, her eyebrows scrunched together in anger. Charity walked to her best friend worriedly.

"Bella? What's wrong?" she asked. Bella ignored her and listened to the caller.

"Where should I meet you?" she asked. Charity raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Bella, wha—" the brunette placed her finger on Charity's lips to shut her up.

"Quiet," she mouthed. Charity nodded as Bella continued to talk on the phone then hung up.

"Bella, will you please tell me what the hell is going on?" Charity pleaded. Bella sighed and explained everything, from the baseball game, to Edward's plan, then to the meeting place with James.

"So… you need to meet this James dude _alone_?" Charity questioned. Bella sighed and nodded. The young girl shook her head.

"No way, I'm coming with you," she said and stood up with Bella.

"Charity, it's dangerous," Bella sighed tiredly.

"Bella, you're my best friend… and it's probably best if I go with you in case you need help," she told her.

"No Charity, you don't know what you're getting yourself into," Bella told her.

"And you do? Bella, this guy is obviously dangerous, so I'm going to have to go with you too. I came to Forks to be with my best friend, and there's no way I'm leaving you," she told her. Bella smiled and hugged Charity.

"What would I do without you," she sighed. Charity smiled.

"Let's go," she said. The two snuck out of the hotel room and down the elevator. They paused as they spotted Alice and Jasper, then swiftly walked to a cab. The two girls held each other's hands with a tight grip as they went on their way to the ballet studio.

As they arrived at the familiar building, Bella stopped Charity.

"Wait," she said and brought out her pepper spray. Charity raised an eyebrow.

"Pepper spray?" Charity questioned. Bella shrugged and shook the can to check if there's still content inside. Assured that the can is full, she tucked the can into her back pocket and they walked side by side as they opened the frosted glass doors of the ballet studio.

It was dark inside, with only light from outside to shed.

"_Bella, Bella, Bella? Bella!"_ a voice echoed in the room.

"Mom?" Bella asked and ran to the voice. Charity ran behind Bella, her stomach twisting as her heart began beating fast in fear.

"_There you are, what are you doing here?" _the voice suddenly said. Charity stopped running as her face changed to confusion.

Bella opened two door, revealing a video being shown on a flat screen television, where the voice was coming from. A dark chuckle was heard as a blond man appeared in front of Bella.

"Well, that's my favorite part," the mysterious man, whom Charity distinguished to be James, said as he walked towards Bella.

"You're a stubborn child, are you, hmm?" he said as he slowly brushed his hand on Bella's hair and grabbed her shoulder, backing her to the wall. James inhaled Bella's scent, and raised an eyebrow as he smelled another scent. He turned and saw Charity, who jumped as his red eyes spotted her.

"Oh… you brought a friend," he said and stalked to Charity, who was slowly backing away from the dangerous vampire.

"S-Stay back," she stuttered. James chuckled darkly, appearing in front of her in an instant.

"What's your name, sweetheart?" he asked as he brushed his hand on her cheek. She pushed his hand away.

"Leave me alone," she grunted.

"Oh, feisty aren't we?" he mocked and grabbed her neck, trapping her on a wall. Charity screamed and thrashed against his grip, which tightened and almost cut off her oxygen intake.

"_Much _feistier than Bella," he muttered, inhaling her scent.

"And sweet smelling," he whispered into her ear, sending shivers down her spine.

"Leave me alone!" she shrieked and kicked James away from herself. He fell to the floor, standing up easily and grabbing her arm, gripping it tightly.

Charity cried in pain as she heard a crack on her bones.

"Stop! Leave her alone!" Bella cried. James smirked and threw Charity to Bella, both getting hit on the wall.

"Chari, Chari, you okay?" Bella asked. Charity whimpered as tears of pain rolled down her cheeks.

"Oh how sweet, caring for each other," James taunted, walking slowly to Bella and Charity.

As he stood in front of them, Bella grabbed her can of pepper spray and sprits it on James's eyes. She then grabbed Charity and dragged her to the door, only for James to reappear in front of them and pushed them to the wall, where Bella hit her head.

A warm liquid oozed from her head. The brunette shakily touched the back of her head and winced as she felt blood come out.

"Beautiful, very visually… dynamic, I chose my stage well," James said as he brought out a camera and recorded the two human girls. The blond vampire grabbed her hand, which was tainted with blood, and growled at the intoxicatingly sweet scent of human blood.

"It's too bad he didn't have the strength to turn you," he growled. Bella forcefully took her hand from his grasp.

"Instead he kept you as this fragile little human. It's cruel, really," and with that, he crushed her leg, earning a distressed cry from Bella. James laughed darkly then looked at Charity, who was cradling her arm.

"And I didn't see you in the baseball field. Another Cullen pet, I presume?" he taunted, grabbing Charity's good arm and throwing her across the room. Warm liquid dripped from her forehead. James froze as the sweeter scent of her blood invaded his nostrils.

"My, my, my, your blood is _much_, much sweeter than Bella's… perhaps I can take a sip," he laughed evilly and took her by the arms.

Charity thrashed and cried in pain as James' teeth sunk into her skin. It was a horrible feeling, as she tried to push him away.

His weight was suddenly gone and his teeth were out of her shoulder. She opened her eyes, seeing Edward growl at James. The latter growled as well, speeding towards Edward, and grabbing his neck. The two vampires growled at each other.

"You're alone… because you're faster than the others," James smashed Edward's head onto the mirror. Charity cried in pain, a burning sensation rippling from her shoulder to the rest of her body.

"But not stronger," James continued.

"I'm strong enough to kill you," Edward growled and freed himself from James' grip, kicking the latter to another mirror. He rushed to Bella, forgetting Charity for a while.

"I'm sorry," Edward said.

"Cha—Chari…" Bella stuttered, trying her hardest to talk. As Edward jumped, James got up and grabbed Edward's foot, throwing them to the ground. Bella flinched as a large mirror shard pierced into her thigh. James grabbed Edward again, throwing him to a window.

The blond vampire then walked to Bella, grabbed her wrist, and sunk his teeth into her skin. The brunette thrashed and cried. Edward got up and ran to James, pushing him to the ground as chunks of wood were separated from the ground.

A burning sensation rippled inside Bella as well, from her wrist then throughout her whole body. She grunted and thrashed the same as Charity.

Edward and James fought, the former backing him to a wall and biting a chunk off of the latter's neck. Suddenly, Carlisle, Alice, Jasper and Emmett came into the ballet studio.

Carlisle grabbed Edward's shoulder, forcing the latter to face him.

"Bella, it's okay," Alice assured the thrashing Bella.

"Son, enough, remember who you are, Bella needs you," Carlisle said. Charity, who tried to ignore the burning feeling, slowly crawled her way to Bella. She shakily grabbed Bella's unbitten hand.

"Be… lla…"she forced out. Alice, noticing Charity, gasped as she saw the bite mark on her shoulder.

"Carlisle!" Alice called alarmingly. Carlisle and Edward rushed to the pixie like vampire. The blond doctor, seeing Charity, froze as he saw her thrashing and growling, the bite mark on her shoulder bleeding much more as she was bitten first.

He ran to the two, checking them both at the same time.

"They're losing too much blood," he stated as Edward knelt beside Bella.

"My hand is burning," Bella forced out as Edward spotted the bite mark on her wrist.

"It's the venom," Edward muttered. Alice scurried back to them, holding Charity down.

"It's going to happen Edward, and Charity's going to turn as well," she said, trying to ignore Charity's blood.

"It doesn't have to be that way," Edward said. They talked swiftly, making Charity unable to understand what they were saying now.

"Carlisle, what's my other option," the bronze haired vampire asked.

"You try to suck the venom out," he told him.

"No, I won't be able to stop."

"Find the will to stop," Carlisle told him, tending to Charity this time. He cradled her body around his arms.

"Don't worry sweetheart, daddy's got you," he whispered to her ear and bit her shoulder, sucking the venom out as it was spreading slower than Bella's.

Their cries calmed down more as the two men sucked the venom out of them.

The last thing Charity saw was Carlisle, kissing her temple fatherly, before darkness overcame her.

xXx

**Well, hopefully, you guys understood this chapter :D was it good? Bad? Loved it? Hated it? Plain horrible? Worst writing ever? Come on guys, tell me in your reviews *wink wink* lol :)) **


	5. Chapter 5

_**My**__** Daughter has made the darkness in my heart light up brighter than I ever thought possible. My Daughter gives me a reason to live and try each and every day. I cannot thank our Lord enough for blessing me with her. And as blessings come, so do disappointments. There are trials and rewards throughout everyone's life. My Daughter had helped me through the most difficult times of my life. I can only PRAY she will allow me to be there for hers**__** ~ Georgene Maciolek **_

xXx

"When do you think she'll wake up?"

"I'm going to rip the heads off of those bloodsuckers' necks if she won't."

"Paul, calm down or I'll drag you outside."

"Shut it, _all _of you. I don't want Charity getting a migraine because of your loudness."

The voices were echoing on her head as Charity attempted to open her eyes unsuccessfully. The voices _were _giving her a headache but all she wanted to do was open her eyes, but they were glued shut.

A groan escaped her mouth as she tried to move any part of her body, feeling too numb.

"Look, she's waking up!"

"Charity!"

"Charity, dear, are you okay?"

"Chari, are you hurt anywhere?"

"Do you need anything?"

"Probably her wooden spoon," someone snickered.

_Whack. _

"Ow… Emily!"

"Jared…"

"Okay, okay, I'll keep quiet, geez."

Charity ignored the people talking and took her time trying to move her body. First, fingers, as they were quite stiff.

She bent them, slowly, until they were able to wiggle. After, she moved her hands, them her arms, then she moved her toes, her whole feet then her legs.

"Ugh…" she groaned. A gentle hand held her back.

"Chari, are you okay?" a soft voice of a woman asked her. She gently opened her eyes, feeling a bit blinded by the fluorescents in the room. She twisted her neck slowly to the female voice, seeing Emily with a worried expression.

"E-Emily…" she stuttered out.

"Yes dear? Is there anything you need?" she asked softly.

"C-Car… Carlisle…"

"The doctor?"

"Doctor? Pshh… you mean the bloodsu—Ouch!"

"Shut the hell up, Paul!" Sam growled, signaling that Charity's in the room, unknown to them that she knew they were vampires.

"Geez, okay already. God…" Paul muttered. Emily rolled her eyes and looked back to Charity, who was trying to move her back, unsuccessfully.

"You want me to call the doctor?" she asked again. Charity nodded and winced as she tried to roll her shoulders, one of them bandaged. Emily smiled, kissing the young girl's temple and walking to the door to call the Cullen doctor.

"Doctor Cullen," she called. In a flash, Carlisle was in front of their door without catching the attention of human patients and visitors.

"Yes Emily? Is she awake already?" he asked worriedly. She nodded, opening the door for him to enter. As the vampire doctor entered, Emily closed the door gently, but was put to a stop.

Emily raised an eyebrow and opened the door again, revealing Esme, with a maternal worried look on etched her face.

"Is Charity alright?" she asked in an almost whisper. Emily bit her lip and nodded.

Esme, trying not to be so obvious, craned her neck a bit to get a peek of Charity. Emily, being the observant one, noticed this and opened the door wider.

"Would you like to come in?" she asked. Esme smiled, nodding eagerly. Emily smiled softly, letting the motherly vampire walk into the room, catching Sam's attention.

"It's already annoying that we have one bloodsucker here, now there's two of them," Jared muttered, annoyance in his tone. Emily gave him a pointed look.

"Don't mind him, he's an idiot," she told Esme, welcoming her in. Sam tensed.

"Emily, are you sure—"

"Yes Sam, don't worry," Emily said, closing the door behind Esme. The latter, seeing Charity, ran to her swiftly and gathered the young girl into her arms.

Charity was surprised as the woman's cold arms wrapped her into a hug.

"Oh my goodness, Charity, are you alright? Carlisle does she have head trauma? Internal bleeding? Heart problems? Kidney failure? Deflated lungs? Menstrual problems? A tumor in her body? Fever? Concussion? Blood loss? Chick—" Esme asked frantically to her husband.

"Esme, dear, calm down," he tried to cut off, but the woman continued to ramble away.

"—en pocks? Hay fever? Allergies? Asthma? Hemophilia? _Cancer?! _Oh my God, Carlisle, tell me she doesn't have cancer!" she panicked. Carlisle chuckled, patting his wife's arm comfortingly and lovingly.

"Esme, don't worry, she doesn't have any of those… well, she doesn't have blood loss anymore," he said. Esme's face contorted to horror.

"She had blood loss?! Carlisle get some blood for her, now! She might be suffering!" she cried. Carlisle, amused with his wife's continuous worry-filled rambles, placed his arm around her shoulders and smiled.

"Don't worry Esme, she's fine now—"

"Except for my back, it hurts," Charity piped in. Carlisle smiled and nodded.

"Alright, let me help you," he said as he helped her stretch and be comfortable with her back.

"Better?" he asked. Charity smiled and nodded.

"Very," she replied.

Sam and Emily were shocked with how worried Esme and Carlisle—mostly Esme—were for their adopted daughter.

"I was so worried, I almost crushed a boulder," Esme sighed, hugging Charity. The young girl was surprised with the action, but hugged the woman back with a smile on her face.

A strange feeling suddenly welled up in her chest, as if the feeling of loneliness was suddenly filled, and it was all because of one hug from the gentle and motherly woman right in front of her.

Emily, being an observant fellow, raised an eyebrow at some of the small points she noticed about the three palefaces.

Esme's hair was a beautiful caramel color and Carlisle was a blond. Charity, on the other hand, had loosely curled caramel colored locks that cascaded until her waist with blonde colored highlights.

Charity, having a heart-shaped face, was the same as Esme, whom Emily observed to have the same face shape as the young girl.

As both the young girl and the vampire woman smiled, Emily spotted the similar dimpled smiles they both had.

Charity and Esme's similar delicate eyebrows made Emily speculate deeper with their similarities.

Charity had Esme's slim, straight, small nose, her heart-shaped face, hair color with hints of Carlisle's own hair color, her dimpled smile, and Carlisle's gentle eyes, and thin lips.

Emily bit her lip, nervousness enveloping her nerves. She had a theory, but she was scared to know the answer. Clearing her throat, she asked Carlisle a question.

"Dr. Cullen," she whispered. Carlisle looked at Emily questioningly.

"Yes?" he asked her, not catching Charity's attention.

"What was your eye color before you were turned to a vampire?" Carlisle smiled and spoke, Emily's heart beating heavily in nervousness.

"It was blue."

xXx

"Emily, they're vampires. They can't give birth," Sam reasoned.

Emily, who was pacing back and forth across the room nervously, began recalling the similarities between the three pale ones a while back. Carlisle and Esme, who were both too anxious to leave, left the room half-heartedly, with Esme planting a kiss on Charity's forehead motherly and Carlisle hugging her like a father should. Jared and Paul went back to La Push to patrol along the woods. Charity, who had a fun time chatting with the two vampires, was now asleep peacefully on the hospital bed.

"Sam, Charity looks like a mixture of Carlisle and Esme. What if it was possible?" she asked. Sam shook his head, but suspicions were filling his brain as well.

"I think I have the answers to your questions," a voice by the door spoke up.

Sam and Emily turned, seeing Carlisle with a soft look on his face as he looked at Charity.

"We don't—"

"You don't mind, do you?" Emily cut off, sending Sam a pointed look. Carlisle smiled and shook his head.

"Not at all. Besides, you were both the ones who adopted Charity, so I guess you both deserve to know," he sighed, closing the door and walking to the side of Charity's bed, holding her hand gently.

"Well, the main question is, why does Charity have the same features as you and your wife?" the scarred woman asked. Carlisle smiled sadly, gently rubbing his thumb on the back of Charity's hand fatherly.

"When I turned Esme to a vampire, we both fell in love immediately and… consummate our marriage," he began.

"A few years later, Esme was suddenly… vomiting blood. She suddenly wasn't able to consume blood so Edward and I were problematic. Surprisingly, she was pregnant. We don't know how that happened, especially because she was frozen, but my theory is that because she was still a newborn and her human systems were slowly shutting down. **[A/N: Okay, I know the newborn thing is for a few months but hey, let me alter some things for this story :)]**

"The baby grew, but it was growing at a slow rate because her reproductive system was slowing down, nearing to a stop. The year that Esme gave birth was the year 1988. She was a beautiful child, I found her much more beautiful than any vampire that I have encountered. But what brought joy to me the most, was that I was her biological father.

"As the years flew by, she was a year old, when the Volturi—our race's lawmakers or police—came to have knowledge about Charity. They thought she was an immortal child, but she wasn't. I proved it to Aro—the leader of the Volturi, telling him that she was completely human—which was strange, seeing that both of her parents are vampires, but he said that she could still be dangerous to the society.

"He took her away. He took her away in exchange of not killing all of us, including our daughter. Esme and I agreed to the condition because at least, our daughter was alive, and Edward was reading Aro's mind in case he was lying. Edward found him telling the truth.

"I vowed to Esme that we'll soon find our daughter, and I did," he continued, facing us and smiling in gratitude.

"I can't thank you both enough, for taking care of my dearest daughter when we weren't there for her. I wouldn't want anyone else to care for her except both of you, because I know I could trust you both. But considering the situation, I'm sure that Charity is angry at her biological parents…" Carlisle said painfully, his eyes becoming clouded with unshed tears as his voice shook as if he were about to cry.

"That hurts a parent much more that anyone could imagine," he ended, placing a kiss on Charity's forehead.

"You don't know how much I would _give _to have at least _one_, even if it's _just_ one, single moment with my daughter," he said shakily. His shoulders began to tremble as he let out soft, tearless sobs of pain and sadness.

Sam and Emily were surprised. Never have they seen the calm, collected and strong vampire doctor, Carlisle Cullen, look so vulnerable and pained. It showed them how much he valued and loved his daughter so much, as if nothing else could measure to how valuable Charity is to him. They were suddenly seeing Carlisle in a different light.

But they didn't notice the single, lone tear that escaped from Charity's eye.

xXx

**Hey everyone! :D **

**Ahhhh! I'm soooo happy with the reviews :)) thank you guys :") **

**Anyways, sorry if this is quite short :( I just want a small moment focused on Carlisle and Charity's relationship :) **

**So, now that you guys know the story on Charity's birth and all, do you like it? Love it? Hate it? Was it horrible? Annoying? Weird? Stupid? Come on guys, review! *wink wink* lol **

**Anyways, the next chapter will most probably be about Jake and Charity so STAY TUNED! :D**

**READ and REVIEW everyone! :D FAVORITE and FOLLOW as well, hihi ;) **


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